National footballer among three fatally shot in St Vincent

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC – A national footballer is among three persons shot and killed in two separate incidents last night, police have confirmed.

Police say Roy “Chicken” Richards, a midfielder with the national squad, was one of two people who died after being shot in the Central Leeward town of Barrouallie.

Richards was taken to hospital where he died.

Also shot and killed in that incident was Daniel “Bogan” Hepburn, an elderly shopkeeper, who is said to have succumbed to his injuries at the scene.

The killings took place about two hours after one man died and another was injured in Green Hill, a community just outside Kingstown. The dead man had been identified as Kenny Haynes. The injured man is Darren Williams who was rushed to hospital.

Police have not said whether the killings were linked and the shootings took place on the second day of a four-day weekend that culminates celebrations of the 40th anniversary of “Vincy Mas”.

The shootings occurred as thousands of persons converged in Kingstown for the Soca monarch show, the most widely patronised on the Vincy Mas calendar.

Saturday night’s killing brings the nation’s homicide count for this year to 16.

The shootings come three weeks after Kemuel Peters of Green Hill died after being shot in Kingstown on June 16.